At the February OFA convention in Everett, Congressman Rick Larsen was asked how to communicate with him.

Write me directly; I tell my staff to pay more attention to an e-mail from an individual constituent than to one forwarded by 500 people, is the gist of what he said.

In a remarkably thoughtful talk, Larsen went on to discuss the importance of the contest for the refigured Congressional District 1 seat as one of three Washington Democrats need to win to take back the House.

“Having run against John Koster twice and beaten him twice, I don’t think he’s a good fit for that new district,” said the Congressman. (Observers suggest that Koster, a Snohomish County commissioner and a Tea Party favorite, is more right wing than most voters in the southern end of the district.)

In what seemed more reality than a prediction, Larsen said the field of Democrat candidates for District 1 – are there now five or six? – needs to be narrowed by the filing deadline of May 18. He recently endorsed Suzan DelBenne.